300 GHz active frequency-tripler MMICs

An active frequency-tripler MMIC achieving an output frequency of 315 GHz is presented. Without the use of post-amplification the frequency-tripler generates an average output power of −10.1 dBm in the output frequency range from 285 to 315 GHz. At 303 GHz the measured output power is −9.3 dBm with an input power of 10 dBm. The comparison to the simulated results shows the quality of the underlying large-signal mHEMT models. The MMIC is realized in a metamorphic HEMT technology with 50 nm gate-length and uses only 0.5 × 0.75 mm2 of chip space for convenient integration into multifunctional MMIC circuits. An integrated version with output buffer amplifier is presented generating −0.5 dBm of output power at 288 GHz.